Online Horizon

Astronomy Education
Building Update

Astronomy Education Building Update (reports on the Observatory,
Planetarium and Public Viewing Nights) :Let
John or Bill know if you want any
training for operations in the building, observatory and/or planetarium.

Observatory
Report - Tom Kiel has 2 more telescopes for the telescope
drawings at our Public Star Watches. The 13 inch dob (A.K.A. The Water
Heater) is back in the storage room. The Coronado hydrogen alpha
solar filter has been found in the control room. It is locked up in the
desk.

Planetarium
Report - Ash Enterprises has
serviced the planetarium projector. The planetarium is properly aligned
and working well. All the crud is cleaned off the contact points and
all the lamps are working. Life is good!! Thanks again to the Mahoney
Fund for paying for the planetarium projector maintenance. We are going
to purchase a new PC for the planetarium shows. The present PC is
giving us problems and is over 12 years old. <>

Public Viewing Nights - Starting at 8:00 pm year round. - Volunteers are always welcome with Public Viewing
Nights (Public Star Watch). Come on
down if you can help. We need volunteers with the scopes in the
observatory
and others to bring their own scopes to set up in the parking lot. We
also
need
volunteers to help with greeting and directing guests to the
planetarium and observatory (no
experience
or training with TWC equipment necessary).

April Public Star Watch
- Despite the cloudy, windy and cold weather we had 33 people at our
Public Viewing Night on April 4th. I gave a planetarium show featuring
Mars and the upcoming Lunar Eclipse. Brian and Tom also helped out. The
telescope giveaway winner was 7 year old Evan.

February Public Star Watch
- I think the word is out that we are giving away telescopes! We had
about 30 guests on a cold night. Brian did the planetarium show about
Jupiter and the night sky. Tom gave the telescope to winner Katie D.
Since it was a clear night and the roof was iced over club members set
up telescopes on the sun dial. We observed the Orion Nebula, Jupiter,
and the First Quarter Moon. The temperature (5 degrees) took its toll
and the guests left by about 9:45 PM. After they left Brian pointed the
scope to the double cluster and we all got a good look at that before
we called it a night. Volunteers were Brian Gray, Ken Craddock, Tom
Kiehl and Ron Wallick

.The
January 2014 Public Star Watch started out with clear skies but
the clouds rolled in later. The 42 guests were welcomed with a
telescope set up on the sundial plaza. Jupiter (shown above left), The
Great Orion Nebula
(shown above right) and The Double Cluster were some of the winter gems
shown. Brian gave a
planetarium show about the Great Orion Nebula. Snow on the observatory
roof prevented us from opening the roof and using the telescopes in
there. Ron explained the observatory’s telescopes and showed his video
images of winter objects in constellations that Brian had pointed out
during the planetarium show. We also had our 5th telescope drawing
winner. It was won by an enthusiastic young lady who seemed very
interested in astronomy. She and her mother hope to be here next month
so that someone from the club could help teach her how to use it.
Thanks to Brian Gray, Tom Kiehl, Gary Likenes, and Ron Wallick for
helping.

The December
2013 Public Star Watch was canceled due to a winter storm watch.

Clouds and light rain kept us inside for
the November Public Star
Watch. John gave a planetarium
shows on Super Nova and the night sky to the 15 guests that showed up.
Ron and Dwayne talked about
telescopes and showed video images taken through them in the
observatory. We also had our 4th telescope drawing winner (pictured
above). Volunteers
includedBill
Castro, Brian Gray, Tom Kiehl,
Dwayne
Miller, John
Waechter and Ron Wallick

,.

Pictured Left to Right, Tom with the
telescope drawing winner, John starting the planetarium show, Ron with
his rainy night program inside the observatory.

Another great crowd of about 75 people
showed up tot he October Public Star
Watch. Clouds and rain kept us inside. John gave 2 planetarium
shows on Super Nova and the night sky. Ron and Dwayne talked about
telescopes and showed video images taken through them. We also had our
third telescope drawing winner. Volunteers includedBill Castro, Ken
Craddock, Brian Gray, Tom Kiehl,
Dwayne
Miller, Kim Miller, Samantha Miller, David Miller, John
Waechter and Ron Wallick

There was about 100 people at the September
Public Star Watch (A Great Crowd!). We had our second Telescope Drawing Winner.
One young man was present to win a small telescope, Planisphere, red
light key chain and a pamphlet on how to use a telescope. We were able
to see Saturn, Venus and some deep sky objects through the observatory
telescopes in-between the clouds. Ron saw the most with his video
camera set up on the sundial plaza. Tom showed kids (of all ages)
objects through the dob on the sundial plaza as well. John
gave 2
planetarium shows about the night sky to the 100 guest that
showed up. Thanks
to Bill Castro, Ken Craddock, Brian Gray, Phil Hoyle, Tom Kiehl,
Dwayne
Miller, John
Waechter and Ron Wallick for helping.

The August
Public Star Watch featured our first Telescope Drawing Winner (pictured above).
One young man was present to win a small telescope, Planisphere, red
light key chain and a pamphlet on how to use a telescope. Rain kept us
from using any telescope that night. John
gave 2
planetarium shows about Saturn and the night sky to the 25 guest that
showed up. Thanks
to Joann
Ballbach, Bill Castro, Ken Craddock, Brian Gray, Tom Kiehl, Dwayne
Miller, John
Waechter and Ron Wallick for helping.

Rain kept us indoors for the July Public Star Watch. John gave 2
planetarium shows to the 65 guest that showed up. A Boy Scout Troop
signed up to do the Astronomy Merit Badge. Thanks
to Joann
Ballbach, Bill Castro, Brian Gray, Dwayne Miller, Kim Miller, Kent
Rothermel, John
Waechter and Ron Wallick for helping.

Clouds ruled the June Public Star Watch, we never
opened the observatory roof. John gave a planetarium show to about 10
guests. Thanks to Joann Ballbach, Ken Craddock, Brian Gray, Tom Kiehl,
Dwayne Miller, John Waechter and Ron Wallick for helping.

.We played "hide and seek" with the clouds
during the May Public Star Watch. John
Waechter gave planetarium shows on Saturn and the Night Sky to about 60
guests. Jupiter and Saturn were the main objects viewed through the
telescopes that night. Thanks to Joann
Ballbach, Bill Castro, Ken Craddock, Brian Gray, Tom Kiehl, Gary
Likenes, Dwayne Miller, Jim Quinn, John
Waechter and Ron Wallick for helping.

The April Public Star Watch
had clear skies, lots of stars and lots
of people. We had 75 guests from the CHESCA home school group and
another 80 from the general public. Joann gave several planetarium
shows on the constellation Leo and the night sky. Volunteers included
Joann Ballbach, Bill Castro, Ken Craddock, Brian Gray, Fred Grosse,
Phil Hoyle, Fred Jarka, Tom Kiehl, Dwayne Miller, Kim Miller, John
Waechter and Ron Wallick.

The March
Public Star Watch was limited to the indoor program due to
clouds and
light snow. Joann gave a planetarium show on Comets and Asteroids and
Meteors (Oh My!) to about a dozen guests. We later toured the
observatory and discussed the details of the roll off roof and
telescopes. Thanks to Bill Castro, Brian Gray and Joann Ballbach for
helping.

Clouds and cold kept us indoors for the February Public Star Watch. John
gave a
planetarium show on NASA Origions and solar formation to 12 guest.
Thanks to Bill Castro, Brian Gray, Tom
Kiehl, John Waechter and Ron Wallick for
helping.

.

It was very clear and very cold for the January 2013
Public Star Watch. Joann gave a planetarium show to our 35
guests that
braved the cold.
Unfortunately, we couldn't open the observatory roof due to the snow
piled on it. Fortunately, Tom and Ron brought their own telescopes and
set up on the snow covered sundial for the public to view the stars and
planets. The Orion Nebula and Jupiter were the evening highlights. The
last quarter Moon didn't rise until 12:52 after midnight. Thanks to
Joann Ballbach, Bill Castro, Ken
Craddock, Brian Gray, Tom Kiehl and Ron Wallick for
helping.
Rain greeted us for the December
Public Star Watch. John gave a planetarium show on
the constellation Orion and the night sky to our 12 guests.
Thanks to Bill Castro, Ken
Craddock, Brian Gray, John Waechter and Ron Wallick for
helping.

The November Public Star Watch
was clouded over and cold. Joann gave a planetarium show titled "Bad
Astronomy" about common misconceptions in astronomy followed by the 4
seasons of constellations in the planetarium. Thanks
to Joann Ballbach, Bill Castro, Brian Gray and Ron
Wallick for
helping.

We had cloudy skies for the October Public Star Watch. John gave
a planetarium show about our nearest star the Sun followed by the
evening constellations in the planetarium. Volunteers included Bill
Castro, Brian Gray, Tom Kiehl, John
Waechter and Ron Wallick.

The skies briefly cleared for the September
Public Star Watch and
allowed us to see a few stars and star clusters. Joann
gave a planetarium show about Astronomy With Binoculars and the night
sky to the 20 guests that showed up.
Thanks to Joann Ballbach, Bill Castro, Brian Gray, Tom Kiehl and Ron
Wallick for
helping.
The skies for the August
Public Star Watch were partly
cloudy for the 45 guests in attendance. John gave a planetarium show on
the Mars Curiosity rover and the night sky.
Thanks to Joann Ballbach, Bill Castro, Ken
Craddock, Brian Gray, Tom Kiehl, John Waechter and Ron Wallick for
helping.

The July
Public Star Watch featured clear
skies and 100 guests. Joann gave 2 planetarium shows on Asteroids and
the night sky. Lynda gave a planetarium show to the
Fifth-Eighth Graders attending the Nature at Night part of The
Wilderness Center's Summer Days Enrichment
program. Bill, Ken and John got
6 members of Boy Scout Troop 920 started on the Astronomy merit badge. Volunteers
included Joann Ballbach, Bill Castro, Ken
Craddock, Brian Gray, Phil Hoyle, Tom Kiehl, John Knapp and Ron
Wallick.
The June
Public Star Watch was attended by 14 visitors. Joann gave a planetarium
show on the Planet Venus. Ron showed some of his recorded observing
videos in the observatory. The weather was Cloudy and light drizzle.
Volunteers included Joann Ballbach, Brian Gray, Ken Craddock, John
Waechter and Ron Wallick.
Rain greeted us for the May
Public Star Watch. John Waechter
gave 2 planetarium shows about Mars and the night sky to the 50 guests
that braved the weather. Videos were also shown in the Observatory.
Those that stayed late witnessed a break in the clouds and were treated
to views of Venus, Mars, Saturn and the Moon on the sundial
patio. Volunteers included Joann Ballbach, Bill Castro, Ken
Craddock, Brian Gray, John Waechter and Ron Wallick.

The skies were clear and the Moon was full
for the April Public Star
Watch. John Waechter gave 2 planetarium shows to the 60 guests. Volunteers included Bill Castro, Ken Craddock,
Brian Gray, Tom Kiehl, John Waechter and Ron Wallick.
There were 5 guests for the March
Public Star Watch. Joann
Ballbach gave a planetarium show and then the skies cleared at the last
minute for us to use the telescopes in the observatory. Highlights
included the first quarter moon, Jupiter, Mars and The Great Orion
Nebula. Thanks to Bill Castro, Brian Gray and Ron Wallick for helping.

The skies were clear and the weather still
unseasonably warm for the February
Public Star Watch. Joann gave a planetarium show to the 47 guests about
the constellation Orion and the night sky. The telescopes were
showcasing the Orion nebula, Jupiter and the Moon. Thanks to Bill Castro, Ken
Craddock,
Brian Gray, Phil Hoyle and John Waechter.
The 115 guests were a record crowd for a January 2012 Public Star Watch. The weather was amazingly warm and clear. It didn't
seem like winter or Ohio at all. John gave 2 planetarium shows on the
night sky. Jupiter, the Moon and the Orion Nebula where the highlights
in the observatories telescopes. Ron had his own telescope,
camera and video monitor set up on the sundial displaying numerous deep
sky objects. Fred and Mike set up their own telescopes in the parking
lot. Volunteers included Bill Castro, Ken
Craddock,
Brian Gray, Fred Grosse, Tom Kiehl, Mike Mullet, John Waechter and Ron Wallick.
The streak of clear skies continued for the December Public Star
Watch. Joann
gave a planetarium show titled "Bad astronomy" followed by a tour of
the constellations in the night sky to 50 guests that evening. The
highlights of the
evening were Jupiter, the Great Orion Nebula and a First Quarter Moon.
Volunteers included Joann Ballbach, Bill Castro, Ken Craddock,
Brian Gray, Fred Grosse and Mike Mullet.

The skies were clear for the November Public Star Watch. John
gave a planetarium show to the over 50 guests for the evening. Bill,
Ron and
Mike, who brought their own telescopes, camera and display, were
observing from the sundial and parking lot. The highlights of the
evening were Jupiter and a waxing gibbous moon. Joann, Tammy and Barb
came down from The Wilderness Center to help out. Tammy (who is
retiring) also introduced Barb as our new Development Director and new
liaison to the club. Volunteers included Bill Castro, Ken Craddock,
Brian Gray, Tom Kiehl, Mike Mullet, John Waechter, Ron Wallick, Dennis
and Pat
Young.

The October
Public Star Watch was canceled due to The Wilderness Center's Enchanted
Forest event.

We had a clear night for the September Public Star Watch. Joann
Ballbach gave a planetarium show about the Space Shuttle and the night
sky to 35 guests. Club volunteers Ken Craddock, Brian Gray and John
Waechter operated the telescopes.

It was cloudy for the August Public Star Watch. John
gave a planetarium show titled "One Small Step: The Shuttle, Where it
is and Where it has Been" followed by a constellation show to 34
guests. Ron showed video of images he previously captured on better
nights and guests checked out the telescopes and how they worked in the
observatory. Volunteers included Bill Castro, Nancy Castro, Ken
Craddock, Gary Likness, John Waechter and Ron Wallick.

The July
Public Star Watch had 150 guests that evening. Saturn was the highlight
of the evening. Joann gave 3 planetarium shows about binocular
observing and the evening constellations. Bill and Brian manned the
telescopes in the observatory while Fred, Ron and two other guests had
4 telescopes operating in the parking lot Thanks to our volunteers
Joann Ballbach, Bill Castro, Brian Gray, Fred Grosse and Ron Wallick
for helping.

The June
Public Star Watch had thin clouds and haze that washed out all but the
brightest objects in the night sky for the 49 guests that evening.
Saturn and its moons Titan, Dione, Enceladus, Rhea and Tethys were the
highlight of the evening. Joann gave 2 planetarium shows about seasons
and the evening constellations. Thanks to our volunteers Joann
Ballbach, Bill Castro, Brian Gray, Fred Grosse, John Waechter,
Ron Wallick, Dennis Young and Pat Young
for helping.

Clouds and a light rain forced us to do
the indoor program
for the May Public Star
Watch. John gave a planetarium show "Space Rocks, Impacts from
our Smallest Neighbors" by the Night Sky Network followed by
condtellations and stars in the evening sky to 38 guests. Ron braved the light rain and showed some of his video
images on the sundial. Thanks to
Bill Castro, Brian Gray, John Waechter, and Ron Wallick
for helping.

The April
Public Star Watch was cloudy.
Joann gave a planetarium show appropriately titled "April Fools" to 45
guests. Thanks to
Bill Castro, Ken Craddock, Brian Gray, John Waechter, and Ron Wallick
for helping.

Rain forced us to do the indoor program
for the March Public Star
Watch. John gave a planetarium show "Space Rocks, Impacts from
our Smallest Neighbors" by the Night Sky Network followed by
condtellations and stars in the evening sky to 9 guests. Ron showed some of his video images of winter galaxies
and nebulae in the observatory. Thanks to
Bill Castro, Brian Gray, Fred Grosse, John Waechter, and Ron Wallick
for helping.

The February,
2011 Public Star Watch is Canceled. The power at The Wilderness
Center is out and will not be on untill Saturday.

The October Public Star Watch
had pristine skies for the 140 guests (including several school
groups). John gave 2 planetarium shows. After dark the telescopes
in the observatory and members telescopes and cameras in the parking
lot showed Jupiter, galaxies nebulae and other stars of the night.
Volunteers included Bill Castro, Ken Craddock, Brian Gray, Fred Grosse,
Phil Hoyle, Gerry Powell, Dave Ross, John Waechter, Ron Wallick, Dennis
and Pat Young.

The September Public Star
Watch
started out with depressing partly cloudy skies that later changed over
to happy clear skies for those who stayed late. Joann gave 2
planetarium shows to 55 guests. After dark
the telescopes in the observatory and members telescopes and cameras in
the parking lot showed
Venus and Jupiter. We even had a small scope for kids to try their luck
at finding stars. Later that evening other jewels of the night sky
appeared such as the Veil Supernova Remnant, The Dumbbell Nebula and
The Andromeda Galaxy. Volunteers
included Joann Ballbach, Rick Breehl, Norma Breehl, Bill Castro, Ken
Craddock, Brian
Gray, Fred Grosse, Phil Hoyle, Ken
Schneller, John Waechter and Ron Wallick..

The August Public Star Watch
had pristine skies for the 75 guests. Joann gave 2 planetarium shows on
planets and the night sky. A NASA video on Infrared and club images of
objects to be seen later that night were played on the TV monitor in
the observatory while we were waiting for it to get dark. After dark
the scopes in the observatory and members scopes on the sundial showed
Venus, Saturn and some other jewels of the night sky. Volunteers
included Joann Ballbach, Rick Breehl, Bill Castro, Ken Craddock, Brian
Gray, Fred Grosse, Ken
Schneller, John Waechter and Ron Wallick.

The July Public Star Watch had
clear skies for the 80 guests. Joann gave 3 planetarium shows on
constellations and the night sky. Venus and Saturn were on display at
sunset. The summer Milky Way and all it's treasures of star clusters
and nebulae highlighted the night for those who stayed late. Thanks to
Joann Ballbach, Bill Castro, Ken Craddock, Brian Gray, Phil Hoyle, Ken
Schneller, Ron Wallick Pat and Dennis Young for helping.

The weather gave us clouds instead of stars for the June Public Star Watch. John gave a
planetarium show on Saturn and the night sky to about 30 guests
including Boy Scouts from Troop 203
North Industry who were working on the Astronomy Merit badge.
Volunteers included Bill Castro,
Ken Craddock, Brian Gray, Ken Schneller, John Waechter and Ron Wallick.

Clouds and wind forced us to do the indoor program for the May Public Star Watch. John gave a
planetarium show on Saturn and the night sky to about 45 guests
including Boy Scouts from Troop 203
North Industry who were working on the Astronomy Merit badge.
Volunteers included Bill Castro,
Brian Gray, Gene
Rickenbrode and John Waechter.

The April Public Star Watch
had very hazy skies. Only Mars, Saturn and a couple of the brightest
stars shown through the murk. John gave 2 planetarium shows on Mercury
and the night sky to 76 guests including Boy Scouts from Troop 203
North Industry who were working on the Astronomy Merit badge. Thanks to
Bill Castro, Ken Craddock, Brian Gray, Fred Grosse, Gene
Rickenbrode, Ken Schneller, John Waechter and Ron Wallick.

The March Public Star Watch
featured a beautiful clear and moonless sky. Mars took center stage as
well as the Orion Nebula and some great star clusters in Auriga. Saturn
greeted visitors who stayed later in the evening. John gave a talk
about Mars followed by an all sky show in the planetarium to about 48
guests. Scouts from Troop 203 North Industry were in attendance to work
on the Astronomy Merit badge. Volunteers included Bill Castro,
Dave Gill, Brian Gray, Fred Grosse, Gary & Kris Liknes, Gene
Rickenbrode, Dave Ross, Ken Schneller, John Waechter, Ron Wallick,
Dennis and Pat Young.

The February Public Star
Watch was canceled due to a winter storm advisory.

The January2011 Public Star Watch
was canceled due to the New Years holiday.

We had some high scattered clouds for the December Public Star Watch. We were
able to see some brighter objects in spite of the clouds. John showed
the Night Sky Network's "Keppler Mission " followed by an all sky show
in the planetarium to 35 guests. Volunteers included Ken Craddock,
Brian Gray, Fred Grosse, Gene Rickenbrode, John Waechter, Ron Wallick,
Dennis Young and Pat Young.

The November Public Star Watch
skies were clear for the 55 guests that night. John Waechter gave 2
planetarium shows featuring the Night Sky Network program "Exploring
the Solar System" as well as an all sky show. Thanks to Bill Castro,
Ken Craddock, Brian Gray, Phil Hoyle, Gene Rickenbrode, John Waechter
and Ron Wallick for helping out.

The rain gave way to clear skies for the October Public Star Watch. Brian
Gray gave a planetarium show to 34 guests. Jupiter, the waxing moon and
some deep sky objects were on display in the observatory. Volunteers
included Bill Castro, Ken Craddock, Brian Gray and Ron Wallick.

The full Moon and Jupiter were the highlights for the September Public Star Watch. There
were 108 guests in attendance. John gave the program "Exploring the
Solar System"
from the Night Sky Network followed by a sky show in the planetarium to
2 groups. We also had
scouts from Buckeye Council finishing their Astronomy Merit Badge that
night. Thanks to Bill Castro, Ken Craddock, Brian Gray, Fred Grosse,
Phil Hoyle, Gene Rickenbrode, John Waechter and Ron Wallick for
helping.

The August
Star
Watch featured clouds. John Waechter gave 2 planetarium shows to 52
guests including Boy Scouts from the Buckey Council working on
the Astronomy Merit Badge. John gave a program titled "Super Nova"
followed by the night sky show. Brian explained the operation of the
Keller, Giust and Resetar telescopes in the observatory.
Volunteers included Bill Castro, Brian Gray, Fred Grosse, Gene
Rickenbrode, John Waechter and Ron Wallick.

The July Star Watch
featured Saturn,
the Moon and unfortunately lots of clouds for our 27 guests, including
6 Boy Scouts from the Buckeye Council working on the Astronomy
Merit Badge. John gave a program titled "What Happened to Pluto or
Honey I Shrunk the Solar System" followed by an all sky show in the
planetarium. Volunteers included Jeff Brest, Bill Castro,
Ken Craddock, Brian Gray, Fred Grosse,
Gene Rickenbrode, John Waechter, Ron Wallick, Dennis Young and Pat
Young.

The June Star
Watch was clear with a waxing Moon rising in the east. John Waechter
gave 2 planetarium shows to 99.5 guests. (Yes the 0.5 guest was busting
to get out of it's own planetarium dome.) We also had Dave Ross and his
Boy Scout Troop 176 from Columbia Station. The Moon and Saturn were
targets for the Guist telescope while star clusters, nebulas and
galaxies were shown in the Keller and Resetar telescope connected to
a TV monitor. Ron Wallick and Fred Grosse even had their own
telescopes
and a TV monitor set up in the parking lot. Thanks to Joann Ballbach,
Jeff Brest, Bill Castro,
Brian Gray, Fred Grosse, Dave Ross, Ken Schneller,
John Waechter, Ron Wallick, Dennis and Pat Young.

A deluge
greeted us for the May Star
Watch. We used the indoor program yet again. John gave the Night
Sky Network's program on planets and Pluto followed by an all sky show
in the planetarium to the 17 brave guests that weathered the rain to
get to the Center. Leave it to a young child to see Mars in the Keller
telescope. They were looking into the big end of the Keller telescope
when one of the children yells out, "I see Mars!". I know that Mars
isn't visible right now, rain clouds or not, but I had to look. What he
was looking at was the tiny reflection of the red eyepiece cover
bounced off of the telescopes mirrors. I laughed with him and was
impressed that a 5 year old knows that Mars is the red planet. That
nights cast of volunteers included Rick and Norma Breehl, Bill Castro,
Brian Gray, Gene Rickenbrode, Ken Schneller,
John Waechter and Ron Wallick. Some of us "saw Mars" that night also.

Clouds has us
showing the indoor program for the April
Star
Watch. John Waechter gave a planetarium show about the NASA Kepler
Mission
and the night sky to the 50 guests including
Scout Troop 933. Brian Gray and Ron Wallick showed astro
images and
Bill
Castro showed a NASA video on Infrared Astronomy on TV monitors in the
observatory. Volunteers included Bill Castro,
Fred Gardner, Brian Gray, Fred Grosse, Gene Rickenbrode, Ken Schneller,
John Waechter, Ron Wallick,
Dennis Young.

Hide and seek with the
clouds was the game for the March Star Watch. John Waechter
gave
a planetarium show from the Night Sky Network titled "Kepler Mission"
followed
by an all sky show. The first quarter moon was the only thing visible
in
the observatory that evening for the 60 guests People were waiting at
the
telescope eyepiece trying to chase the clouds away just to get a
glimse.
We also had visitors from Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist
Conference
heald in the Interpretive building that evening. Thanks to Bill Castro,
Brian Gray, Fred Grosse, Gene Rickenbrode, John Waechter, Ron Wallick,
Dennis and Pat Young for helping.

The skies were clear and the moon was waxing for the 58 guest
who attended
the February Star Watch. John Waechter gave a International
Year
of Astronomy presentation, "What is Astronomy" followed by a sky show
in
the planetarium. Ron Wallick even brought out his own telescope on the
sundial for the dozen or so students to look at objects themselves.
Highlights
included the Moon, Venus and the Great Orion Nebula in the Giust
Telescope.
Other numerous deep sky objects were imaged and displayed on the TV
monitor
with the Resetar telescope . Thanks to Bill Castro, Brian Gray,
Fred
Grosse, Phil Hoyle, Gene Rickenbrode, John Waechter, Ron Wallick,
Dennis
and Pat Young.

We were again surprised to have very clear skies and 65 guests
for the January
(2009) Star Watch. John gave the program "Telescopes: Eyes on the
Universe"
from the Night Sky Network followed by a sky show in the planetarium.
The
observatory was a constant buzz of telescope motors as "there were more
objects in the sky to look at than geese in the pond" noted one of the
guests. We even brought out a small telescope on the sundial for the
dozen
or so kids to aim and look at objects themselves. Highlights included a
stellar nursery, The Great Orion Nebula viewed in the Keller Telescope,
The Moon in the Giust Telescope and numerous deep sky objects in the
Resetar
telescope were displayed on the TV monitor. Thanks to Rick and Norma
Breehl,
Bill Castro, Brian Gray, Fred Grosse, Eric and Barb Mast, Gene
Rickenbrode,
John Waechter and Ron Wallick

The December Star Watch had clear skies and cold
temperatures.
John gave a planetarium show to the 8 guests that showed up.
Afterwards,
everybody braved the 19 degree temperatures to look at the night sky in
the observatory. The Resetar telescope was connected to the
Stellacam
and showed star clusters and galaxies on the TV monitor. The first
quarter
moon took the spotlight in the Giust telescope. The prominent lunar
features
that night were the Alpine Valley and the Straight Wall.
Volunteers
included Bill Castro, Ken Craddock, Brian Gray, Gene Rickenbrode, John
Waechter, Ron Wallick, Dennis and Pat Young.

Clouds and rain greeted our 15 guests at the November
Star Watch.
John Waechter gave the Night Sky Network "Kepler Mission" presentation
and a sky show in the planetarium. Bill Castro, Brian Gray, Fred
Grosse,
Gene Rickenbrode and Ron Wallick came and helped out.

Observing was completely clouded out for the October
Star Watch.
John gave a planetarium show to 55 people including a group of Cub
Scouts
and a Brownie troop. Volunteers included Rick & Norma Breehl, Ken
Craddock,
Brian Gray, Phil Hoyle, Gene Rickenborde, John Waechter and
Dennis
Young,

Clouds has us showing the indoor program for the September
Star
Watch. John Waechter gave 2 planetarium shows to the 51 guests and
Webelos
Scout Troop 200 that showed up. Ron Wallick showed astro images and
Bill
Castro showed a NASA video on Infrared Astronomy on TV monitors in the
observatory. Volunteers included Rick Breehl, Norma Breehl, Bill
Castro,
Gene Rickenbrode, Ken Schneller, Ron Wallick and John Waechter

The August Star Watch had rain clouds moving out to
partly cloudy
skies that allowed for limited viewing. Jupiter and its Galilean moons
were the "stars" of the night through the Giust refractor. The Resetar
was connected to the Stellacam and showed star clusters and nebula on
the
TV monitor. John Waechter gave 2 planetarium shows to a crowd of 55.
Thanks
to Rick Breehl, Norma Breehl, Bill Castro, Gene Rickenbrode, Ken
Schneller,
Ron Wallick and John Waechter for volunteering.

The skies cleared somewhat for the July Star Watch.
John gave
the Night Sky Network presentation titled "Supernova!" followed by a
constellation
show of the evening sky to a small group of 10 in the planetarium. The
clouds were playing hide and seek with the stars and planets that 4th
of
July night. Highlights in the telescopes were Saturn, The Great
Globular
Cluster in Hercules M13, The Wild Duck Cluster and later in the night
Jupiter
and its Great Red Spot made an appearance. Volunteers included Joann
Ballbach,
Rick Breehl, Norma Breehl, Bill Castro, Brian Gray, Gene Rickenbrode,
Ken
Schneller, Ron Wallick and John Waechter.

The skies were clear and the observatory roof opened for the June
Star Watch. (The first clear sky for a Star Watch since January.) John
gave the new Night Sky Network presentation titled "Supernova!"
followed
by a constellation show. The highlights in the scopes included the 3
day
old crescent Moon, Saturn, M13, M57, M5, M104, M65, M66 and others.
John,
Gene, Ken and Bill ran the telescopes in the observatory. Rick managed
the 8 inch dob and the kids on the sundial out front. Norma, Dennis and
Pat helped with crowd control. Ron and Fred set up their own telescopes
in the parking lot. Thanks to Rick Breehl, Norma Breehl, Bill Castro,
Fred
Grosse, Gene Rickenbrode, Ken Schneller, Ron Wallick, Dennis and Pat
Young
for helping with the crowd of 44.

Clouds AND rain for the May Star Watch kept us inside.
John Waechter
gave the Night Sky Network show titled "Exploring the Universe" to 14
guest.
Thanks to Rick Breehl, Norma Breehl, Bill Castro, Gene Rickenbrode and
John Waechter for helping.

The March star watch was canceled due to a winter
storm advisory
and snow.

The weather was cold and icy for the February Star
Watch. Both
school groups that had planned to attend canceled. John Waechter
did a sky show for 6 guests in the planetarium. Other members who came
down to help were Gene Rickenbrode, Ron Wallick, Ken Craddock and Mike
Trucinski.

For the January 2008 Star Watch we had another good
crowd
(60 guests)
under mostly clear skies, just a few patchy clouds floating by now
&
again. John Waechter presented 2 shows in the planetarium, giving
his "Exploring Mars" show and a constellation sky show for each
group.
Gene Rickenbrode, Fred Grosse & Ken Craddock manned the telescopes
in the observatory and Ron Wallick set up his scope in the parking lot.
The primary target was Mars along with the other bright winter sky
objects.

Clouds forced us to use the indoor program for the December
Star
Watch. John Waechter gave a planetarium show to 8 guests on Comet
17P/Holmes
and constellations that would have been visible in the sky if the
clouds
weren't there. Many thanks to our volunteers who braved the cold and
showed
up. Volunteers included Rick Breehl, Josh Breehl, Bill Castro, Gene
Rickenbrode
and John Waechter.

For the November Star Watch comet 17P/Holmes took
center stage
on a beautiful starry night. The Center's telescopes and cameras were
all
working showing the 100 guests views of comet Holmes, the Andromeda
Galaxy (M31), the Dumbbell
Nebula (M27), the Ring
Nebula (M57), the Wild
Duck Cluster (M11), globular clusters (M15/M2)
and more. Fred Grosse, Ron Wallick and Dave Ross brought their own
telescopes
out to help with the crowd. Members took images through the
centers
scopes, cameras and their own equipment. Stay tuned to this page for
postings
of their pictures. John Waechter gave the planetarium show "Explorers'
Guide to the Solar System" from the Night
Sky Network to a standing room only crowd at 8:00 and again for an
encore presentation at 9:00. Thanks to Rick and Norma Breehl, Bill
Castro,
Brian Gray, Fred Grosse, Phil Hoyle, Dave Ross, Ken Schneller, Mike
Trucinski,
John Waechter and Ron Wallick for volunteering.

We were honored to host seventy-five guests including a
handful of Girl
Scouts at the October
Star Watch. The skies were partly cloudy, but we were able to
tease
out views of Jupiter, the Ring Nebula, the Owl Cluster, the Andromeda
Galaxy,
and the Blue Snowball. At one point the International Space
Station
and an Iridium flare were visible at the same time. John Waechter
premiered his Exploring Mars
program for two shows in the Planetarium. Volunteers included
Phil
Creed, Gene Rickenbrode, John Waechter, Phil Hoyle, Brian Gray, and Ken
Craddock.

The August
Star
Watch was shortened by clouds and lightning but the ninety guests were
treated to views of mighty Jupiter, colorful Albiero, the Ring Nebula,
and the Dumbbell Nebula. A bright Perseid meteor supplied some
fireworks
during a break in the clouds. Mike Trucinski, Fred Grosse, Ken
Schneller,
Bill Castro, Gene Rickenbrode, John Waechter, Rick Breehl, Norma
Breehl,
and Brian Gray provided valuable assistance. JohnWaechter dazzled
the guests with two showings of his You
Used To Be Stars program in the planetarium.

For the July
Public
Star Watch, the planets Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter made early
appearances
for the fifty-five guests who visited the Astronomy Education
Building.
The skies remained clear after sunset and many clusters, nebulae, and
some
galaxies were viewed through the scopes and displayed on the video
monitor
with the Stellacam. John Waechter presented two showings of the Night
Sky Network'sOur
Galaxy, Our Universe. Thanks to our volunteers: Bill Castro,
Ken Schneller, John Waechter, Norma and Rick Breehl, Ron Wallick, John
Weiss, Fred Grosse, Brian Gray, Gene Rickenbrode, Phil Hoyle, and Mike
Unsold.

The rain gave way to hazy skies for the June Public
Star Watch.
John Waechter gave a planetarium show to about 20 guests. The
observatory
was open and the Moon, Venus and Saturn dominated the sky. Even with
the
bright moon up the Stellacam showed us great images of deep sky objects
such as globular clusters M13, M5 the Ring Nebula M57, the Black Eye
Galaxy
M64 and the Sombrero Galaxy M104. Jupiter made an appearance for those
who stayed late. Thanks to Rick and Norma Breehl Bill Castro, Brian
Gray,
Gene Rickenbrode, Ken Schneller, John Waechter and Ron Wallick for
helping.

Partly cloudy skies could not deny the eager crowd of about
100 guests
the glorious views of Saturn at the May Public Star Watch.
Dave Gill gave an encore presentation of The
Art and Science of Saturn. As the skies darkened, the
scopes
showcased some old favorites such as the Whirlpool, Sombrero, Spindle,
and Black Eye galaxies; globular clusters M3 and M13; and the Ghost of
Jupiter nebula. Thanks to John Waechter, Dave Ross, Dave Gill,
Gene
Rickenbrode, Brian Gray, Mike Trucinski, Ron Wallick, Fred Grosse, and
Norma and Rick Breehl for their help.

The April Public Star Watch was very cold and very
cloudy. Dave
Gill gave his planetarium show
titled, The
Art and Science of Saturn to 13 guests. It had NASA
Cassini-Huygens Saturn mission updates from JPL
Solar System Ambassadors group. Thanks to Rick and Norma
Breehl,
Bill Castro, Dave Gill, Brian Gray, Gene Rickenbrode and John
Waechter
for helping.

For the March Public Star Watch the weather was mostly
clear
and the Moon dominated the sky. The forty guests enjoyed the
views
of Saturn, the Moon, globular cluster M79, the Eskimo nebula, the Orion
nebula, and open clusters like M35, M41, the ET cluster and the
Christmas
Tree cluster. John Waechter talked about the Moon and the
upcoming
lunar eclipse in the planetarium, and Brian Gray and Gene Rickenbrode
wrangled
the scopes in the observatory.